Cristina Odone is a journalist, novelist and broadcaster specialising in the relationship between society, families and faith. She is the director of communications for the Legatum institute and is a former editor of the Catholic Herald and deputy editor of the New Statesman. She is married and lives in west London with her husband, two stepsons and a daughter. Her new ebook No God Zone is now available on Kindle.

To polish his tarnished image Barack Obama is following in Fergie's footsteps and publishing a children's book

So THAT's what he's been up to! We were wondering what Barack Obama could be doing, as the Tea Partiers encircled the White House like coyotees sniffing a dying beast. What was on his mind, when he turned in such lack-lustre performances in India and China? What's troubling him, that the great communicator should prove so distant and tongue-tied when out on the campaign road?

Now we know. The most powerful man on the planet was writing a children's book. Of Thee I Sing is dedicated to his two daughters and praises a host of American heroes, but of course we all know what this is all about: polishing the President's tarnished image. We know it, because we've seen it all before. Hillary, Fergie and Madonna: when they were scorned and taunted for being past their sell-by date, they didn't sit there and take it, they got writing children's books. They wrote of villages and little helicopters, of Mr Peabody's apples and great big worms. Who cared what the subject matter was, the important thing was to produce a book. A children's author, you see, conveys an image of someone nice and clever, who may make a fortune, a la JK Rowling, but will always remain a child at heart. Write a children's book and you transform your persona from "hopeless failure" to "innocent and fun".

Having failed to wow the grown-ups, Barack Obama is now hoping to win over their children. Someone should tell him the classic children's story about the Emperor with no clothes. It took a child to expose that fantasy, remember?